M500 Series
StageFront UpStage System
by Vince Cuffaro
Continued

The listening test:
I was sooo excited! I slapped everything in and test mounted the UpStage™ kit. I put the tweeters on the dash, sort of firing in the proper direction. It is vital you mount them properly! They need to be a few inches off the dash, in the A-Pillar, or using the angled dash mount/cobra dash mount options. And they have to be firing slightly toward the glass. Just imagine the sound hitting and rolling across the plane of the window, NOT firing at and bouncing off!

I turned on the radio and dropped in my Crash Test Dummies disc. I listened for about 20 seconds and quickly shut it off. Why? I was amazed at the sound coming from my van and was ready to permanently mount the UpStage™ kit and really listen! I get very itchy when things go well.

I mounted the tweeters in the desired location (as per above) and got ready to be "WOWWED!" I put my old favorite in, the "FORD DEMONSTRATION DISC".
Don't ask where I got it as I have no clue! And even though it says "FORD" on it, it's actually pretty high quality. It's the single cleanest disc I own for sound checks.

My eyes shut, I waited for Track 1 to start.

(Why do I shut my eyes? Well, I've found that no matter how well the sound is being staged and reproduced, my eyes have a tendency to 'listen' for my ears. I'll see those speakers in the door next to me, and hear them there. By closing my eyes, I couldn't focus on where the speakers were, but were the sound was being processed to come from!) "Endless summer nights" by Dave Koz starts slowly, a sprinkling of chimes, guitar and synthesizer. The sound just flowed! I was 'watching', with my ears, the music play from side to side, rolling back and forth across the dash! It was amazing! I kept my eyes shut soaking it all in. I could hear background vocals "back there", and picture the leads right up front.
I usually have to artificially enhance the right side of the van to balance the sound. If I sat in the center it would be ok, but the van is so big and the door speakers so low, it's a harsh environment to listen and try and produce proper sound in. I immediately noticed with my eyes closed I had hardly any bias at all! And everything was centered! Thank goodness.
I clicked on the advance button and listened to " Forty-Mile Town " and "Cold sweat/funky broad way" and just listened in amazement. Something I thought sounded sooo good before, just became better! Every breath, every placement, every background noise, perfectly reproduced!

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